Posted by: thepinetree on 12/22/2008 07:31 AM
Updated by: Kim_Hamilton on 12/22/2008 11:45 AM
Expires: 01/01/2013 12:00 AM
:
Making "Bear Droppings" with Gary "The Candyman" Hauer ~By John Hamilton
Arnold, CA...Many of you may not know that you have a business owner living in our little Calaveras County that has probably been in charge of making more candy than almost anyone on the planet. For 17 years Arnold Ace Home Center's Gary Hauer was the plant manager for See's Candy in South San Francisco and after See's he and his wife Susan were executives at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. So when Gary talks candy he knows the subject. We had the pleasure to video the Candy Making Class that Gary held last week in Arnold. Gary started off by telling the audience the the science behind candy...
Gary & Susan Hauer with Gary's Bear Droppings
making.
The fundamentals of combining various forms of sugars at very precise temperatures to get the desired results. The temperature ranges for cooking can range from the low to mid 200's for fudges and soft centers to over 300 degrees for hard candies such as lollipops. Gary also talked about some of the equipment and processes they used in large scale manufacturing.
The recipe Gary made for the audience was one of his own creations. He dubbed them "Bear Droppings". The recipe calls for popcorn, nuts and more to be combined and coated with a caramel / brittle coating. The Droppings were delicious. We have video of the class and the recipe below...
Caramel: Place corn syrup, honey, sugar & water in small or medium kettle & Cook to 270 F with high flame
16 fl. oz Corn Syrup
1T Honey
1 ½ C Sugar
¾ C Water
Inclusion Step: At 270F to boiling caramel, add nuts & butter while continuing cooking to 280F
½# Butter
24oz Any Roasted Nuts
Remove from Stove (at to 280F) mix in soda then pour into Larger Kettle blending with Popcorn
1 ½ t Baking Soda
8 C Popped Popcorn
Spread and flatten on cooling slab with OV/Glove and cool for 20 minutes.
Drizzle with Chocolate (if desired)
Notes:
Verify calibration of thermometer
Honey not necessary
Can vary the ratio of nuts to popcorn
Experiment with different combinations of nuts
Uncooked nuts should be added 10F sooner
Blending of caramel into popcorn must be done quickly
Chocolate drizzle must be tempered (not necessary for White)
After cooling break into small easy to handle pieces
Can be stored in zip lock bags for up to a month
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